Basketball Recap: New Hope Academy National Proves Higher State Rank Is No Mistake

New Hope Academy National's tournament run continued when they took on Charlotte Elite Academy on Sunday. The New Hope Academy National Tigers walked away with a 77-70 victory over the Charlotte Elite Academy Soldiers. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 87th in Maryland, while the Soldiers are ranked 281st in North Carolina), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Haki Muhammed II

Points

03/02/25 vs Charlotte Elite Academy	42
03/01/25 vs Tournament Opponent	23
02/28/25 vs Oak Ridge Military Academy	24
02/13/25 @ Evergreen Christian	27
02/08/25 @ Potomac School	16
+ 9 more games

It was another big night for Haki Muhammed II, who shot 67% from beyond the arc on his way to 42 points and five boards. His morning made it 14 games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Isrial Braxton, who posted 12 points and six rebounds.

New Hope Academy National smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 6.1 offensive boards per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 13.

New Hope Academy National's win bumped their record up to 16-25. As for Charlotte Elite Academy, they moved to 11-13 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak.

As of now, neither New Hope Academy National nor Charlotte Elite Academy have any future games scheduled.